Alongside all the more poignant remarks made by Prince William to Eugene Levy on his Apple TV+ show, The Reluctant Traveler, there were also some much more light-hearted moments that could easily slip under the radar. This includes the revelation that the future King and his children occasionally make trips to nearby Windsor Castle and recreate his own childhood fun.
Giving Eugene a grand tour of the historic residence, William described St George’s Hall as one of his “favourite parts”. It was also where he and his cousins used to enjoy games that came with a risk factor, though, thankfully, his own kids don’t have to worry about this anymore.
“My cousins and I and the family, would chase each other up and down here and play silly games. And I remember these carpets weren’t here, and there are a couple of spots where you used to have to watch out because you’d get massive splinters because the floor is old wood,” he shared.
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Instead of sumptuous carpets, there was “just a really dark, wooden oak floor”. The Prince explained, “When you went running off, you’d end up coming away with an enormous splinter. Everyone would say ‘stop, stop’ and someone would have an enormous splinter in their foot.”
The addition of the carpet has changed the game when it comes to chasing each other up and down St George’s Hall, though. William confessed that “now it’s a lot easier”, saying, “My children don’t realise how lucky they are. They’ve got a big old carpet. They can run down and there’s no splinters.”
He disclosed that they “come in after hours” and “chase each other around sometimes”, showing that this sweet childhood tradition is being upheld now with his kids.
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It’s fun to imagine the Wales family running around somewhere like Windsor Castle and is definitely a reminder that whilst they’re royal, George, Charlotte and Louis are also still children who enjoy everything that comes with being this age. The magnificence and history of the royal residences is something that, as members of the public, we’ll never not see above all.
Yet when Eugene asked the future King if he ever got “overwhelmed” by the “sheer history” of Windsor Castle, William revealed he doesn’t.
“Because I think if you’re not careful, history can be a real weight and an anchor around you, and you can feel suffocated by it, and restricted by it too much,” he said. “And I think it is important to live for the here and now.”
When the TV star questioned what does overwhelm him, the Prince of Wales movingly shared that family-related things do, but not his royal role like it once did.
(Image credit: Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty)
William said, “Stuff to do with family overwhelms me quite a bit, you know, worry or stress around the family side of things, that does overwhelm me quite a bit. But in terms of doing the job and things like that, I don’t feel too overwhelmed by that. Not now anyway, when I was younger, yeah there are bits that overwhelm you like, woah, are we actually doing this, is this sort of happening?”
He thinks that “with time and age” you naturally feel “a bit more settled in that side of things”.
“When it’s to do with family and things like that, that’s when I start to get overwhelmed as I think most people would. Because it’s more personal, it’s more about feeling, it’s more about about upsetting the rhythm, if you like,” Prince William added.
Watch The Reluctant Traveler season 3 on Apple TV+, with new episodes landing every Friday.
